The Wisconsin BioFuels Association is applauding Gov. Tony Evers for his support for year-round E15 sales. E15 or Unleaded 88 is a fuel that is cleaner, has higher octane and currently sells at a large discount to gasoline.
Evers joined eight Midwest governors in a letter to the EPA in support of the year-round sale of E15 fuel.
The Biden Administration has temporarily lifted the current EPA regulations limiting the sale of E15 (fuel with up to 15 percent ethanol during the summer months, largely due to the realization of the significant savings that E15 represents for Wisconsin families at a time when they desperately need relief. However, these regulations would pop back up next summer, potentially leading to higher fuel prices, less consumer choice and increased air pollution.
The guv’s letter to the EPA will assure that in Wisconsin and throughout the Midwest, consumers will continue to have the choice to purchase a blend with higher content of renewable biofuel, says Wisconsin BioFuels Association.
A study has been released by Ecoengineering which shows that by moving to a gasoline ethanol blend with a lower vapor pressure, the state will see up to a 1.7 percent reduction in those particulates that contribute to air pollution, including smog.
Wisconsin BioFuels Association writes: It is clear that using more E15 and less regular gasoline will clean our state’s air and also reduce our carbon footprint. And as a bonus, E15 has a higher octane rating than the common E10 fuel, and therefore burns with a higher efficiency in your engine.
Also, ethanol is currently selling for around a dollar less per gallon than base gasoline, so removing the
regulatory barrier will save Wisconsin families money at the pump.
And finally, using more ethanol in our state’s fuel supply is a huge boon to Wisconsin’s rural economy. In
Wisconsin, we grow the corn and process it into ethanol right here in our state. The economic impact of our industry on Wisconsin is estimated to be over $1 billion and supports almost 20,000 jobs.
